‘Samsung Electronics 25 vs. TSMC 50.’ It is the number of possessing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment, which is called the’game changer’ of the global semiconductor war. The number of EUV equipment that can efficiently manufacture ultra-small, low-power, and high-performance chips is a key indicator that determines the company’s semiconductor technology, financial power, and production capacity. This is the reason why global semiconductor companies are taking their life and death before securing EUV equipment.
According to the industry on the 15th, the number of EUV equipment secured by Samsung Electronics as of the end of last year was 25 units, which is half of the world’s No. 1 foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company TSMC (45-50 units). Samsung Electronics distributed this equipment to the EUV-exclusive line in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province and the second plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The price and installation cost of EUV equipment made in the Netherlands exceed 200 billion won per unit. This is why the number of EUV equipment possessed is regarded as a measure of the competitiveness of semiconductor companies. TSMC is known to have taken more than 60% of the total EUV equipment shipments (75 units) since 2018, when it began developing ultra-fine processes with a line width (transistor gate width) of 5 nm (nanometer, 1 nm = 1 billionth of a meter) or less. . The rest were shared by Samsung Electronics, Intel Micron, and SK Hynix.
The gap in the number of equipment holdings is highly likely to solidify due to the gap in market share. This is because if there is not enough EUV equipment, it is not possible to receive orders from customers asking for “Make the latest chips.” Samsung Electronics is currently blocked by the ‘20% wall’ of foundry market share.
Samsung Electronics is developing next-generation technology to overcome the inferiority. In the process of 3 nm or less, which will start mass production next year, it is planning to introduce the world’s first GAA technology that greatly enhances the power efficiency of chips.
It is also planning to focus on securing EUV equipment. Last year, it is reported that Samsung ordered about 20 more equipment. This is to respond to the rapid increase in demand for semiconductors produced in ultra-fine processes due to the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicles. A former president who oversees system semiconductors at Samsung Electronics said, “We need to hurry to build a front and rear ecosystem such as fabless and packaging based on Foundry to catch up with TSMC.”
Reporter Hwang Jung-soo/Lee Soo-bin [email protected]
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